Galatians 1:2

The brethren. It was usual for Paul to include the names of his companions in the salutations of his epistles. Thus in 1 Cor. 1:1 he mentions Sosthenes and in Phil. 1:1, Timothy. In view of the possibility that this epistle and that to the Romans were written about the same time, from Corinth, those mentioned in Rom. 16:21-23 may here be referred to.

The churches of Galatia. See p. 931. The salutation to this letter stands in marked contrast with nearly all the others Paul wrote. There is no expression of personal affection, such as “beloved” in Rom. 1:7, or of confidence in their loyalty to the truth, as in 1 Thess. 1:3. There is no expression of appreciation for faithfulness or Christian service. He does not even refer to the Galatians as “saints.” Perhaps this reflects the extent of their apostasy — Paul could find nothing for which to commend them.